1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to knitted garments and more particularly to a garment which is preseamed and preformed on a circular knitting machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Clothing in the garment industry is generally made by superimposing one fabric over another, cutting it into panels to conform to the shape of the individual according to current fashion, seaming along the outer edges of the panel and attaching various parts, by stitching to form seams, until a complete garment is formed.
In the knitting industry, a limited class of open-ended, tubular garments (for example, foundation garments such as girdles, panties, etc.) and those utilizing elastic or spandex types of yarn, have been formed on a warp knit Raschel-type machine. Garments made on this machine are made so that the wale direction of the fabric is horizontal to the ground or is worn 90.degree. from the direction in which it was knit. The warp knit Raschel-type machine has limited pattern scope (width approximately 20 inches) and, therefore, is not acceptable for all types or sizes of garments. An example of this type of garment is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,323.
Circular knitting machines have been used to make tubular, knitted garments, such as ladies' stockings, sweaters and other garments. In these tubular garments, the user's anatomy is in the center of the single tube. "Two tube," "double layer," "Bi-knit" and "duo-fold" fabrics have been produced on circular knitting machines. These fabrics involve two layers interconnected at points for their artistic properties (ottoman or Ponte De Roma patterns), thermal properties (U.S. Pat. No. 2,921,457) and armor piercing qualities (U.S. Pat. No. 2,879,654). The fabric itself is used as a unit to form one surface of a finished garment.
When the computer began to be used as pattern preparation equipment for electronic double knit machines in the early 1970's, an era of unlimited pattern potential began. Heretofore, with mechanical type pattern machines, maximum pattern widths were approximately 144 wales wide, 324 courses high. Computer electronic knitting brought about the possibilities of making patterns and designs of up to three million stitches (previously approximately 50,000 was maximum). With this system, patterns and designs are possible that before could not be made.